NASA sees heaviest rainfall in Tropical Storm Maliski's eastern side

October 2, 2012 in Earth / Earth Sciences

When NASA's TRMM satellite passed over Tropical Storm Maliksi on Oct. 2 at 1206 UTC (8: 06 a.m. EDT), light rainfall (blue) was occurring over most of the storm. The heaviest rainfall was moderate (green and orange) was falling east of the center at a rate between .78 to 1.57 inches/20 to 40 mm per hour. There was a small area of heavy rainfall (red) just east of the center where rain was falling at 2 inches (50 mm) per hour. Credit: SSAI/NASA, Hal Pierce

Wind shear is pushing the heaviest rainfall within Tropical Storm Maliksi east of the storm's center, and NASA's TRMM satellite captured it on Oct. 2 as it passed overhead from space.

When NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite passed over Tropical Storm Maliksi on Oct. 2 at 1206 UTC (8:06 a.m. EDT), the precipitation radar instrument detected light rainfall occurring over most of the storm. The heaviest rainfall was moderate was falling east of the center at a rate between .78 to 1.57 inches/20 to 40 mm per hour. There was a small area of heavy rainfall just east of the center where rain was falling at 2 inches (50 mm) per hour.

TRMM also noticed that the highest thunderstorms were about 12 kilometers (7.4 miles) high in that same region of heavy rain. Microwave satellite imagery has shown that the storm has become less organized during the morning hours of Oct. 2 because it has become slightly elongated.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center forecast shows that Maliksi will track northwest towards Iwo To and strengthen. Once Maliksi passes Iwo To it is expected to move to the northeast and become extra-tropical.